Care Homes: Safety Ratings

Baroness Stedman-Scott Excerpts

Wednesday 5th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I absolutely agree that the CQC has been deficient in its performance. We can look back to 2023 for the roots of that, when a new single assessment framework for assessing providers, coupled with a new IT system and changes in the CQC’s staffing model, were all brought into play. That produced a stark reduction in its inspection activity, as well as causing huge problems in the time taken to carry out re-inspections. In all of the ways that I have already mentioned, in addition to discussions on reducing the backlog and looking at the technology, staffing structure and improving governance within the CQC, this will be a root-and-branch change and will greatly improve inspection for maternity units and others.

[Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con)]

My Lords, Sir Julian Hartley, in the Health and Social Care Committee hearing, said that the new IT system introduced by the regulator had been a complete failure. What steps will His Majesty’s Government take to ensure that public bodies, not just the CQC, have adequate and effective rollouts of digital systems, so that they can deliver on their performance targets? On 6 January, the Secretary of State announced that the Government were launching an independent commission on social care reform, with the intention of forming a national care service. Can the Minister please update the House on the progress made towards this commission?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

To take the second question first, the commission will start its work in April. The noble Baroness, Lady Casey, has agreed to lead that review. The terms of reference will be published, and the first report will be with us next year. On the important point about IT, as I mentioned in response to the noble Lord, Lord Patel, that problem arose in 2023. The CQC has acknowledged, as we have, that there have been huge challenges with the provider portal and the regulatory platform. The Dash review talked about poorly performing systems hampering ability. This is not how the system should work. As we move towards the 10-year plan, and from analogue to digital, we will have that front and centre in how we work.

Women’s Health Strategy

Baroness Stedman-Scott Excerpts

Tuesday 4th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con)]

My Lords, nearly 600,000 women are waiting for treatment on a gynaecological waiting list in England. Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto made a commitment that:

“Never again will women’s health be neglected. Labour will prioritise women’s health as we reform the NHS”.


Why, then, are the Government removing the requirement on integrated care boards to implement women’s health hubs? The Answer given to this Urgent Question by the Minister in the other place stated that at least 90% of ICBs already have women’s health hubs, which is terrific. If they have been rolled out so effectively, why not complete the job and follow through to reach 100%? Perhaps the Minister could tell us what exciting plans she has to do this.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)]

I would be glad to give information to the noble Baroness, whom I thank for reminding your Lordships’ House of the situation that we inherited—600,000 women on gynaecological waiting lists—and the challenge before us. My honourable friend in the other place was quite right about the planning guidance, but I commend the effort of the noble Baroness’s Government for pump-priming the introduction of women’s health hubs to the point where there are some 80 across the country—in nine out of 10 areas, there is at least one. It was never a long-term planning situation. The noble Baroness will also be aware of the informed observation from the noble Lord, Lord Darzi, that planning guidance has too many specifics. We therefore needed a new approach, which is what we have done. The planning guidance is not the catalogue of all the levers, nor of all that happens, in the NHS.